


Coldwater's Anatomy

by AyanoaRose



Category: The Magicians (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Development, Developing Relationship, F/M, Fen/Eliot Waugh (Past), Hospitals, M/M, Possibly OOC, Slow Burn, Tags May Change, i have no idea what im doing, or where this will go, so just join in on the ride
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-07
Updated: 2018-12-12
Packaged: 2019-09-13 17:08:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16896612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AyanoaRose/pseuds/AyanoaRose
Summary: “That was amazing.” Quentin said, his cheeks flushed and his hair wild. “You-you practice on cadavers and you observe and you learn, and you think you know what you’re going to feel like when you stand over that table but- but that… That was such a high.” Eliot sighed as he stared at him, his elbows resting on the counter as Quentin sat in a chair. “I don’t know why anybody does drugs.”AKA: A Grey's Anatomy AU with Queliot :)





	1. Chapter 1: A Hard Day's Night

Soft light danced through the curtains, the early morning sun illuminating the entire living room as light shadows caressed skin. Quentin sat up, pulling his arms above his head to get out the kink that had been there from deciding to sleep on the floor all night. Why had he decided to do that again?

His head was fuzzy from events of the night before. Pounding rang in his skull, and he shook his head, any memory that he had a chance of remembering disappearing from his head. He felt the blanket on top of him in every detail, realizing he was naked, and shrugged. Somehow, it seemed to happen a lot when he was drunk. 

Quentin pulled himself up, his eyes still not focusing on the room around him, and he turned to look at the clock on the small table beside the couch. Eight AM.

“Shit!” He cursed, stumbling to get up and take the blanket with him. Yet, as he tugged and tugged, it wouldn’t budge, and he finally turned to see just what was stopping him. 

There, laid a man. His hair was mostly curly, the strands curling around his cheeks and ears, yet it didn’t seem to cover his face too much. It was tangled, Quentin could tell, and stuck up in odd places. His face was serene, the light streaming onto his face and illuminating him in a way Quentin had never seen anyone before. He rolled over to face him, and he gasped, as the other man’s eyes opened. They were a striking shade of amber, and a smile passed over his lips as he caught eyes with Quentin.

“Good-morning sweetheart.” The voice that passed from his lips made Quentin seize up, his whole body tightening as his cheeks flushed.

“Y-You… I need to go.” Quentin tugged at the blanket one more time, wrapping it around his lower half and started marching upstairs. He needed to get his clothes together, and fuck, get ready for his job. He hadn’t even eaten breakfast-

“Leaving so soon?” The voice made him jump again, and he turned to face the man, who had managed to get somewhat dressed in the time Quentin had spent overthinking things. His yearning turned into anger, as he turned to face him.

“I happen to have a job I need to get to. And I’m sure you do too, so I’m going to get dressed, get ready for work, and then leave. I want you out by the time I’m gone, got it?” That was the most confident Quentin had ever felt, and as he turned away from the man on his floor and marched up the steps, his hands began to shake and his breathing grew faster. Never, had he yelled at anyone like that, ever. 

Thankfully though, by the time he left for work, the man had taken his things and left. If anything, he left the place cleaner than it was before their.. Activities. There was no note left with a number, and no trace of him left, and he sighed softly. Some part of him wished that the man had at least left something behind for him.

The other part of him was grateful that there was no trace of what probably was embarrassing, knowing him.

Another sigh escaped his lips, as he grabbed his keys, and drove to work.

…

Stepping through the doors of Brakebills Hospital, Quentin took in a deep breath. The air that filled his lungs was crisp and clean, and a smile danced across his features. This, this is what he had been working towards. Four years of college, four years of medical school, eight years for this. His first day as a surgical intern.

He stepped through the large doors where the other interns were waiting, sneaking himself in as the others listen to the chief, Henry Fogg, speak.

“A month ago, all of you were in med school, being taught by doctors. Today, you are the doctors. The seven years you spend here as a surgical resident will be both the best and worst of your life. You will be pushed to the breaking point.”

Quentin looked around as him and the other interns followed on a tour. Each OR was almost identical to the last, and he took in a deep breath as Fogg continued to speak.

“Look around you. Say hello to your competition.”

He looked around as he spotted a few faces he knew from the mixer they had thrown a while back. The dark haired girl who used to be a model, the overly confident asshole who managed to glare at him just now, the extremely smart blonde, who graduated top of her class at Stanford, and lastly the only guy who he knew the name of, Todd.

“Eight of you will switch to an easier specialty, five of you will crack under the pressure, two of you will be asked to leave. This is your starting line. This is your arena. How well you play… that’s up to you.”

Like Quentin had said. He was definitely, screwed.

…

The locker rooms for interns were extremely loud as Quentin had changed into his scrubs, waiting for his name to be called by the residents. The smart, blonde girl had taken a locker close to him, and he sighed as he looked around the room. 

“There’s really only six of you guys out of twenty, huh?” Quentin asked, fixing his scrub top as he pulled it down. The blonde girl shrugged and slammed her locker closed. 

“Yeah, supposedly one of them’s a model. Don’t know how that’s supposed to help with the whole respect thing.” The girl said, pulling her lab coat around her arms. Quentin sighed again. He seemed to do that a lot when he was nervous.  
“You’re Alice, right?”He asked, standing up from the bench he had been sitting on that was located below his locker. The room seemed to grow just a bit quieter from some of the interns leaving with their residents, but the loud noise still continued. The amount of people in here made Quentin shiver just bit, but he took in a deep breath to calm himself.

Alice didn’t give any confirmation to his question, but it seemed to be confirmation enough. She looked up, tying her hair back in the process.

“Which resident are you assigned to?” She asked, her hair being pulled tight. “I got Hanson.”

Quentin did a silent cheer as he realized him and like, the only person he knew happened to be assigned to the same resident. Sadly, the resident in question didn’t have a very appealing nickname, thanks to her personality. “The Nazi? Me too.”

“You got the Nazi too? So did I!” Said Todd, from a locker farther away. He must have been listening in for quite some time, and Quentin really didn’t like that. He took in a sharp breath as he turned to face Todd. “At least we’ll be tortured together, right?” Somehow, Todd sounded excited about that. “I-I’m Todd! We met at the mixer?”

It seemed as though Todd was trying to get the attention of him and Alice, but neither of them were really listening. Quentin had had a rough morning, and this guy was somehow making it worse. He especially didn’t want to think about.. nevermind.

“Coldwater, Quinn, Todd, Orloff-Diaz!”Quentin perked at the sound of his name being called, and quickly followed behind Alice, who had left first. He could hear Todd grumbling behind him but, he didn’t really care. Alice ahead of him managed to be the first to ask, his eyes following the arm of a nurse who pointed them in the direction of ‘The Nazi’ at the end of the hall.

“That’s the Nazi?” He heard Alice say in disbelief, and Todd commented from behind them both.

“I thought the Nazi would be a guy?” He stated.

“I thought the Nazi would be well.. A Nazi.” Quentin said, still following behind Alice and looking in front of him in shock. The woman in front of them stood tall, her uniform sneakers somehow having platforms, which gave her a few more inches. Even though she was a surgeon, her makeup shined under the hospital lights and sunshine radiating in, and her ponytail was perfectly curled and styled. Her nails weren’t too long, but Quentin thought that if she wasn’t a surgeon, they probably would be delicately painted and taken care of. Even now, they were nicely manicured.

She leaned against the nurse’s station counter, seemingly waiting for them to show up.

“Maybe they’re just calling her a Nazi because they’re jealous.” The girl from behind them all stated. However, she didn’t seem to at all believe her own words, and they came out as a grumble. “Maybe she’s… nice.” And she began to walk quickly, faster than the rest of them to get there first. 

“Let me guess,” Alice piped up, when the girl had passed in front of them. “You’re the model.”

The girl turned, giving a death glare to Alice. It didn’t seem to faze her one bit, but Quentin’s heart rate began to quicken the slightest bit.

Before any of them got to say anything to Dr. Hanson, she spoke up first.

“Look, I’ve got five rules. Rule number one, don’t even bother sucking up. I definitely don’t want you all over my dick and plus, I already hate you, so there, that’s definitely not going to change.” Quentin shivered as she looked him up and down. “Here’s the trauma protocol, phone list, pagers, the nurse will page you so you better answer at a run or I’ll personally find you, and you don’t want that, which is rule number two. Your first shift starts now and lasts forty-eight hours.” 

Quentin knew the long hours were waiting for him, but he still groaned internally.

“You just so happen to be interns. Also known as grunts, nobodies, or the bottom of the surgical food chain. You run labs, write orders, work every second night until you drop dead. Most of all, if I hear a single complaint, I’m cutting out your tongue.” A smile graced Hanson’s lips, but it was sinister. The name of ‘The Nazi’ was suddenly matching his expectations.

She continued to show them around, from the on-call rooms, to the cafeteria, making small, degrading comments here and there. Quentin suddenly would rather be back at home.

“Rule number four,” She had said, when they reached the on-call rooms. “If I’m sleeping, don’t wake me unless the patient is dying, and they better not be dead when I get there. Not only have you killed someone, but you woke me for no reason at all! We good?”

Quentin raised his hand tentatively. She had said five rules, but finished her speech at four. His actions almost always spoke before his brain registered it, and he suddenly wanted to put his hand down. “That was four rules. You said five?”

She sighed, and gave Quentin a look that screamed ‘Are you fucking serious’ when her pager rang out loudly among the five of them. “Rule number five.” She said, reading the page and beginning a speed walk. “When I move, you move!” until she took off running.

As Quentin sprinted along behind everyone, he realized that this was definitely not how he planned his day going.

Once again, his life as a surgical intern, was screwed.

…

Quentin had been assigned his first patient. A young girl who attended pageants and was a gymnast, and for some reason had been flown in while grand-mal seizing. He had shaken under the responsibility of his first patient, and he had to stop and hide in a closet full of medical supplies to try and calm his breathing. After that, he had tried to take the young girl to get a C.T, but had managed to get lost on the way there, and was still angry at the fact that the girl had commented on every little thing he did. After seven hours they had lunch, and he knew that as soon as he had walked up to the table that the other interns had been talking about him, but he ignored it and ate. He complained to others about the girl, and grumbled a bit as the cardio attending chose Todd to scrub in on a surgery. Overall, his day had been going just great so far. 

Now, he was looking for the girl’s attending. Sure, she was his patient, but the attending had the overall say, and Quentin didn’t know all of the information. The girl’s parents had questions, and she bumped into Dr. Hanson on the way to looking around. 

“Her parents have questions. Do I ask you or the cardio attending?” His voice shook as he spoke, and he internally cursed himself for it. 

“No, he’s off the case.” Hanson stated. “She belongs to the new attending, Dr. Waugh.” And Dr. Hanson pointed Quentin in the right direction, and disappeared. 

Quentin took in a sharp breath as he saw just who ‘Dr. Waugh’ was. He, in fact, was the man he had slept with the night before. The one who had been laying on his hard wooden floors just this morning with nothing but a pillow on his ass and a blanket around his ankles. He was the one who looked like an angel under the morning light, his dark curls taking in all the surrounding light in the room. He, was the man who left this morning without a word. He, was the man Quentin had yelled at.

Oh god, he yelled at him. And now he had to face him professionally. Dammit.

He stood there, smiling and laughing with a few of the other attendings, until he turned to face Quentin, his smile dropping when he saw him staring. Quentin cursed and turned away. Turned away as in, he literally turned and walked out the door, trying to get as far away as possible. He’d find another doctor who knew the girl’s case, he-

His thoughts were interrupted by Dr. Waugh grabbing his arm and dragging him away. This guy seemed to be interrupting his thoughts a lot lately. A small “Can I talk to you for a second?” Escaped his lips as he pulled Quentin into a stairwell.

“Dr. Waugh I don’t think-” He stuttered out, but the other man cut him off before he could continue. 

“Dr. Waugh? Last night, it was Eliot, and now I’m just Dr. Waugh?” Eliot looked angry, but fondness still showed underneath. Quentin choked in his head. His name is Eliot.. Of course he was too drunk to remember that.

“D-Dr. Waugh. I think we should pretend that what happened last night definitely didn’t happen because it was probably terrible and I happen to be terrible a lot and-” His brain screamed as he continued talking, saying ‘stop you’re rambling to the beautiful man’, before he was cut off by Eliot grabbing his shoulders. 

“Woah, woah, woah, breathe. You ramble a lot you know? You did this last night too..” He leaned forward, a shining look in his eyes and a smile on his face, and Quentin backed away. He needed room to breathe, dammit.

“I’m just saying we should pretend this never happened..” Eliot laughed at his response.

“Pretend what never happened? You having sex with me last night or you throwing me out this morning?” Eliot used the same voice he had used this morning, the same one that entranced Quentin entirely. His question was crude, and made Quentin burn from the inside out. “Because those are pretty fond memories I hope to hold on to.”

“No, no no, there will be no memories at all.” Quentin shook his head, and tucked a strand that had fallen from his low ponytail behind his ear. A nervous habit he was never able to get rid of. “I-I’m not that guy from the bar anymore, we-” he gestured in the space between them. “Are not those drunk, horny guys from the bar anymore.”

“So you took advantage of me and now you want to forget about it?” Eliot sounded completely serious, and Quentin crumbled. 

“I-I did not take advantage of-!” He sputtered out.

“You did. I was drunk, vulnerable, and good-looking, and you took advantage.” Eliot said, and Quentin’s hands began to shake again. The shining, white hospital stairwell seemed to shine around them, light shining in from the tall windows. Her silently cursed whatever god was watching over him for creating such beautiful scenery. 

“First of all I was the one who was drunk,” he took another step back. “Second of all, you’re not that good looking so.. There.” Both his brain and heart knew that was a lie, as the memory of him laying on his floor this morning glittered in Quentin's mind. He cursed silently.

Eliot laughed in his face. “Maybe not today. Last night I did.” A smirk spread across Eliot’s features, and he stared Quentin straight in the eyes. “Want to take advantage again, say this Friday?” 

Quentin choked, noticing how Eliot’s amber eyes looked down at him, sparkling with something a little bit more than a ‘one night stand’ kind of feeling.

“N-No! And stop looking at me like that!” Quentin yelled, hoping that as he turned away from Eliot, his face would cool down a bit. 

“Like what?” Eliot laughed out.

“Like you’ve seen me naked! This is inappropriate! Has that ever occurred to you?” Quentin stomped away, slamming the door behind him and leaving Eliot to stand there and smirk. He didn’t have time for this.

He hated that this was inappropriate.

…

Quentin spent most of his shift with his patient. Her heart had stopped, and his first code blue left him running out the front doors of the hospital and releasing whatever was in his stomach on a tree while Alice watched from the doors. He had attending a meeting lead by Dr. Waugh, who offered any of the interns a chance to scrub in on a surgery if they found out what was going on with the young girl. Quentin decided to work with Alice, saying that he definitely did not want to scrub in with Dr. Waugh, so he’d help her and then say she did all the work, because he knew Alice wanted it. 

Alice continued to pester him about why he didn’t want to work with Dr. Waugh until he caved and told her why. Alice didn’t really show emotion, but still seemed to be shocked at what had happened anyway.

They found out what was wrong with her in the end. An aneurysm, caused by when she had fallen and hit her head when she had sprained her ankle. While Quentin pleaded to Dr. Waugh to give Alice the surgery, he had told him to scrub in anyway. Since, Alice has been pacing angrily.

Yet, as Quentin stood there, his eyes watching as Eliot performed surgery on this young girl’s brain, he realized something. He could quit, find internship at a new hospital and forget about all this drama with Eliot.

But, he loved the playing field.

He looked up and made eye contact with Eliot, a small smile gracing both of their lips as they continued to work. 

They both walked out of the OR.

“That was amazing.” Quentin said, his cheeks flushed and his hair wild. “You-you practice on cadavers and you observe and you learn, and you think you know what you’re going to feel like when you stand over that table but- but that… That was such a high.” Eliot sighed as he stared at him, his elbows resting on the counter as Quentin sat in a chair. “I don’t know why anybody does drugs.” He finished. 

Eliot nodded slightly at him, his lips curling up as a small “Yeah.” escaped his lips. “I should go do this.” He finished, smiling at Quentin one more time, before saying “See you around.” and walking away.

He finally made it through his first shift. Everyone had. 

His mom listened intently as he told her everything that happened, knowing full well she wouldn’t understand what he was saying or who he was.

But that was fine. Because he made it through, and he would keep making it through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I happened to think of this while of course, watching Grey's Anatomy, and I immediately thought "Damn who would play who?" and so this was written. :) Anyway, this is my first work so I hope you guys enjoy!


	2. Chapter 2: The First Cut Is the Deepest

Everything was about lines.

The finish line, found at the end of residency.

Waiting in line, for a chance to stand at the operating table.

And finally, the line separating you, from the people you work with.

Quentin realized a long time ago that making friends didn't help in his line of work. Getting familiar only made things worse. Surgery was a specialty that was meant for competitors, meaning that as soon as you made friends, you'd lose them when your chance at a surgery came around. His career path was meant for those who walked alone, fought on their own. Your only real competition was yourself. Good thing that he had been alone for a long, long time.

For now, it would stay that way. He hoped.

Until he concluded that he definitely didn't have enough money yet to afford the house his mother left him, and he needed some roommates.

He really, really hoped he could keep his boundaries. Other people were too messy, too invading.

Quentin spent most of his day finding quiet places to sit, to interview his fellow co-workers who wanted to be his roommates. Most were definite no's, like this preppy blonde girl who claimed she was quiet, but definitely hated everything Quentin liked. There was another, way too young, and he definitely did not want her there either. So many of them didn't even know the Fillory and Further books! Disappointing.

"Why put posters everywhere if you don't actually want roommates?" Kady asked him. Quentin knew she secretly was hoping to get one of the rooms in his house, but they spent too much time together as it is.

"I do want roommates! We already spend a hundred hours a week together, you want to live together too?" His response was snarky, and angry. The amount of interviews he had done today already was weighing down on him, and he squeezed the coffee cup in his hand a little tighter. Todd had given it to him a few moments earlier, hoping to bribe Quentin into giving him a room, but he wasn't budging.

"Come on, Quentin! My mom irons my scrubs. I have to get out of there." Todd pleaded desperately. Quentin shook his head, sighing.

"I'm not taking your bribes, Todd." 

"Hey! I can put down, last, first, and deposit if you give me a room!" Todd continued to plead, small chunks of apple flying from his mouth as he spoke. Quentin grimaced when he saw a few pieces land on his scrubs and shoes. 

Kady stood behind them as Todd continued to plead, listening in on what was happening. On second thought, maybe she needed a place to live too. Attempting to convince Quentin into being roommates wouldn't be a bad idea. It would save her money, and Quentin just so happened to live much closer to the hospital than she did, meaning it would save her time too.

"Hey Quentin." Quentin turned to look at Kady, who had called for him. "I can cook, and I'm really obsessive about cleaning, so it would definitely help you." She said, a smirk on her lips. He tilted his head as to consider her offer, before shaking his head. He tucked the strand of hair that had fallen out of his low ponytail when he shook his head back behind his ear. 

"No, definitely not. I just want two total strangers who will never have to interact with me, while I stay in my room and read and occasionally come out to shower and eat. Is that so much to ask for?" Quentin cried out before all of them walked up to Dr. Hanson, who gave them their instructions for the day.

...

Quentin was put on trauma today. Not that he didn't particularly like trauma, because it of course led to more surgeries, but it also meant more cases that would likely lead to panic attacks for him later. He was never really good with the whole 'talking to patients' and emotional side to medicine.

He walked toward the elevator, hesitating just a bit when he saw Eliot standing there waiting too. He sighed. He would have to deal with him professionally some day. So, he walked up to the elevator, standing directly in front of Eliot, who had been typing something on his phone. Quentin continued to stare at the brightly lit numbers above the elevator to try and not pay attention the to the warm presence behind him. It didn't work. Eliot spoke up first.

"We have Ferryboats here, you know that?" Of course Quentin knew that. He lived here his whole life. Still, a small smile rested on Quentin's face when he heard the smile in Eliot's voice. Damn his feelings. Damn it all, honestly. "I've been living here six weeks and didn't know that." Eliot continued.

"We just so happen to be surrounded by water on three sides." Quentin stated, a fact that had been in his brain since he was young. It was something they had learned in elementary school, but somehow, he thought it would make Eliot feel better. Even if just a bit.

"The ferryboats make sense then. I guess I have to like it here now." The elevator dinged then in front of them. "I wasn't really planning on liking it here." The both get on the elevator then, Quentin first, and then Eliot, making it so Quentin was now standing behind Eliot. The small smile was still resting on Quentin's face, while a smirk was perched on Eliot's. The elevator closed then, and Quentin's smile fell as he continued to look at Eliot. He couldn't do this. His job was on the line, and he couldn't be looking at his boss like he had been laying on his floor a week or so ago. Even if he really had been.

"I'm not going out with you." Quentin stated, holding the folders in his arms closer to his chest. The one strand of hair fell again. He tucked it back quickly, so he wouldn't drop his papers. 

"Did I ask you to go out with me?" Eliot stated, and Quentin suddenly felt his heart clenching in his chest. No-no he hadn't. And it was once again Quentin's stupid brain assuming things before they were actually said. Stupid, stupid stu- "Do you want to go out with me?"

Quentin looked up from his shoes, which is where he usually looked when he was overthinking. Dammit Eliot, if you keep asking things in that voice then-

"I am not dating you." Quentin said, the sudden confidence that came with being around Eliot swirling in his veins again. "And I'm definitely not sleeping with you again. You're my boss!" 

"Small facts. Also I'm your boss's boss." Eliot stated, the smile still on his lips. Quentin's heart began to beat faster, while his brain begged it to stop.

"Look, I'm drawing a line. There's this big line, blocking you from me, and I'm keeping it that way." Quentin said, his heart almost pumping out of his chest. Oh god stop, stop.

This elevator ride seemed to take forever, that is until Eliot turned to face him, amber eyes meeting his own. "So, is this line imaginary, or do you want to borrow my pen?"

They stared, eye to eye, until Quentin couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't take the way Eliot was making his heart pound out of his chest, or how he so badly wanted to tangle his hands in Eliot's curls. He couldn't take the way Eliot was making his whole body burn from the inside out, and he dropped the folders and papers in his arms to the ground, crashing his lips to Eliot's.

Eliot hummed back pleasantly as Quentin pushed him up against the elevator wall, tangling his fingers into his hair and kissing him with everything he had. Eliot pushed back just as hard, biting Quentin's lip, reveling in the way Quentin whined against him in response. Hands wrapped around Eliot's neck just as the elevator dinged, making Quentin pull away as the doors opened. They both looked like a thorough mess, Eliot's curls sticking up in random directions and Quentin's pony tail having completely fallen out, as they both straightened their coats. Quentin quickly swooped his papers back into his arms, and scurried out of the elevator as if nothing had happened, leaving Eliot with the memory of Quentin's fingers pulling at his hair and his lips swollen.

...

After his little.. adventure in the elevator, Quentin wasn't expecting to handle a crazy case the moment he stepped out. It was as though his quick several minutes in the elevator were his own personal little bubble, that he didn't want to come out from. As such, when he stepped out and down the hall, leaving Eliot flushed behind him, he wasn't ready to see a young, 26 year old woman, beaten to a pulp. She was a rape victim, and if she looked like this, Quentin didn't want to see the rapist in question. He silently thanked god that she lived after something like that, began to do his workup, even with his stomach churning from the events.

"She as unequal breath sounds, and her right pupil is dilated," an EMT next to him stated, and he nodded, examining the woman before him. He did his work up and sent her down for x-rays, before walking out and taking in a deep breath. From the beginning, he knew what his job entailed, but there were still some days where he came in and was in awe of what was around him. At the same time, it terrified him, and he had to remind himself to keep breathing.

Quentin took in big breaths of air, paging Eliot for the girl's head trauma, and the cardio surgeon. 

Now, they all stood in an OR, Eliot working on the young girl's head, while the cardio surgeon stood by, working as well. Quentin stood off to the side, which is what he usually did in surgeries at the moment. He was slightly disappointed that the cardio surgeon had to be present, because if he hadn't been, Eliot would let him work by his side. Instead, Quentin sighed through his mask, and watched off to the side as Eliot spoke.

"This poor girl. She'll be in recovery and rehab for a long time." Eliot said. "She's 5'2 a hundred pounds, and she's still breathing after what that guy did to her? If they catch him..." Eliot didn't continue, shaking his head. Quentin could see, the anger in Eliot's face, even through the goggles and mask. The poor girl's hands were shredded. She fought that hard, fought until her hands were bleeding, broken, and cut, just to be safe. Quentin was in complete disbelief. "And the rape kit came back negative? She kicked his ass!" Eliot said excitedly, as if he had read Quentin's mind. It made them both smile. "We have a warrior!" Eliot continued.

Quentin spoke up then, because their warrior needed to be known. "Allison." He said, and both Eliot as well as the cardio surgeon turned to face them. "Her..Her name is Allison." He locked eyes with Eliot, and they smiled softly. 

They found the rupture soon after, and the cardio went to work repairing it. Well, he would have finished it, before he pulled something out of the girl that looked suspiciously familiar. "Does anyone know what this is?" He questioned, until Quentin spoke up.

"Oh my god." was all he could say. 

"What? Spit it out, Coldwater."

"She bit it off." Quentin was still in disbelief, staring at what was in the surgeon's hand in wonder.

"Bit off what?" Eliot chimed in, looking up from his work.

"Th-That's his.." Quentin almost wanted to laugh, but this was professional, he knew, and he was still shocked that she had even done it. "That's his penis."

The entire OR full of doctors groaned in disgust, before the cardio surgeon quickly tossed it, and they finished the surgery.

For his first week at Brakebills, he could safely say, the cases were certainly interesting.

...

 

For the rest of the day, since Quentin had so graciously been the one to point out that the young girl had bitten off the man's penis, he was in charge of carrying it around until the police came to collect it for evidence. This is totally not how he imagined his day going. Him, carrying around another man's penis all day in an ice chest, while everyone around him giggled when they saw the little red box in his hands. He groaned internally, and continued asking as to whether or not the police had come yet.

They hadn't.

He also definitely didn't enjoy the chief continuously asking about his mother. Especially when he couldn't answer the chief's questions about her either.

Alice had seen him later that day, along with Todd, who both wanted a look in the cooler. Alice's only response was "Talk about taking a bite out of crime." In a state of disinterest, before she disappeared again. Todd asked if he was okay but Quentin brushed him off. He was never okay, nothing would change that.

Okay, maybe except for seeing the babies. Which is what he and Todd did when they felt down. Which is also where they were now. Sure, they should probably be doing their jobs, Quentin taking care of a penis and Todd running the code team but... the babies just made everything feel lighter. Like he was floating on a cloud as he watched them giggle. They also knew they could get in major trouble but, was there really any fun in being safe?

Todd was paged away moments later, and Quentin continued to watch. That is until he noticed one of the babies turning blue, with no one there to help him. So, as Quentin always did, he did something totally stupid and went in there himself.

He started to do a full exam on the baby, before a nurse in pink scrubs walked in and called him out on it.

"What are you doing in here?" She said, staring Quentin down. God, he hated when people looked at him like that.

"Uh the-the baby.. he has a murmur and no tests have been ordered?" He stuttered out, very carefully under the gaze of the nurse.

"I know."

"He-He turned blue and-" The nurse cut him off then and Quentin flinched, tucking his hair behind his ear again.

"You're surgery, and you're not supposed to be in here."

"Are you going to do any tests?" Quentin continued. Sure, he wasn't a peds doctor, but he knew that murmurs didn't usually do that if they were benign.

"No, it goes away with age. Plus, he's not your patient, and not on your service. I'm a doctor just as much as you are. You should get out of here."

Quentin nodded softly, his heart pounding and stomach dropping. They weren't going to do anything to help him. And Quentin couldn't do anything about it. 

He took the penis with him, and left.

...

Quentin returned to his and Eliot's patient, the young rape victim. He didn't go in, or examine her. Instead, he stood still outside the glass door, watching as the machines beeped in time with her heart rate and nurses gave her medication. He couldn't physically understand how someone could do this to a young girl, someone who was having a normal day, who now had to be hospitalized and have surgery because she was pretty. It was heartbreaking, and Quentin just stood, watching.

"I've called every hospital in the county." Eliot said, walking up beside him and glancing over at him. "Sooner or later, the guy that did this is going to seek medical attention, and when he does, the police will be there waiting." Eliot's voice was angry, and Quentin understood. Any anger that Quentin had had before towards the rapist was gone, and sadness for his patient filled his sense. It felt as though Eliot had been the one to take his anger, and somehow, he didn't seem to mind it. 

"Where is her family?" Quentin asked. Eliot shook his head sadly.

"Doesn't have any." Quentin looked down sadly. He had known for quite some time what it was like to have no family, but to have no family after you're beaten to a pulp and almost raped? He couldn't imagine it. 

"No siblings? Parents?" Quentin continued, hoping, praying, that this girl would have someone when she woke up.

"No. Both parents are dead." Eliot said, his anger seeming to deflate as well from his words. Quentin flinched the slightest bit, and looked down at his shoes. "She just moved here three weeks ago. Welcome to the city." He said sadly.

Quentin continued to stand there, staring. He couldn't leave, as if his feet had been cemented to the floor, as if someone had told him, 'you have to see this' before pushing him here. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe. He tried to take a deep breath, like he usually did when his heart was racing, but he couldn't. Instead, he choked out a sob, and he looked down at his feet again. Eliot had moved to the counter to look at the girls chart by then, and he could hear Eliot turning to face him, even as he looked down.

"Quentin? You okay?" Shit, he must have heard him. Quentin nodded softly, took in his deep breath, and looked up.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine. I have to go." Eliot nodded, deciding to sit with the girl before Quentin took off running, hoping to find someone to save the baby he had seen earlier. He would not watch someone else almost die today on his watch.

...

Quentin fought with the cardio surgeon for a while, begging him to just examine the baby. The attending before him adamantly refused, saying that they couldn't do anything without a peds consult, and Quentin groaned. He would save this baby, even if it meant putting his job on the line. After a long argument, the attending refused, leaving Quentin to stand there in disappointment. It lead him right back to the babies, where he stood and watched the one he was hoping to save.

Well, he was going to the babies, before their rapist stumbled right in through the front doors. Quentin looked down in anger, and pulled the phone from the wall. "Can I get security please?" He said, before slamming it back into its place. They got the rapist on a stretcher while Quentin put the penis he had been holding on top as well.

"What do we got?" Hanson said, running up next to them. Quentin shook his head angrily, only pointing at the rapist.

"Take a look."

Hanson indeed took a look, lifting up the blanket to see what was underneath. There, was what was left of the man's penis, in shreds. "Let's get him to OR one. Quentin, you call the chief and let him know that we got the rapist, got it?" Quentin nodded, and ran off with the ice chest in his hands, towards Fogg's office.

For the next several hours, Quentin stood in the OR with Hanson and Alice, as Hanson repaired the damage. Hanson asked the questions she usually asked, to get them to learn, but Quentin couldn't focus. He could only stare again in wonder, at the rapist on the table. His heart clenched as he remembered Allison. Anger flooded through him looking at the rapist on the table.

After the surgery, Quentin still had to hold the penis. When he was told that the police wouldn't be there for hours and he groaned, again, and returned back up the the babies.

There, he saw the parents of the small baby with the murmur.

Quentin then made the absolutely stupid mistake of telling the parents what he thought of the murmur, leaving them to freak out as the nurse walked out and began yelling at Quentin. However, the parents yelled right back, completely on Quentin's side, and a small smile worked its way onto his face.

He was also shocked, when the cardio attending showed up, backing him up as well. His smile grew wider.

In the end, the got the echo for the baby, and gave the baby the surgery it needed. The joy he felt was indescribable, and his entire day of being angry at the rapist and crying for the victim and making out with Eliot all led up to this. This, happiness, from being able to save someone's life, their entire life. That, that is why he chose this career. Even if him saving that baby meant putting it on the line.

...

Quentin came back the next morning to check on the victim, only to see Eliot, sitting right outside her door, flipping and flipping through her charts. He sighed seeing how tired Eliot looked. He must have been sitting here all night, and it made Quentin's heart twist in his chest.

"Have you been here all night?" He asked Eliot. Eliot nodded, and looked up to make eye contact with Quentin.

"You know, I have four sisters. If I was in a coma they'd be here." Eliot sighed, looking down again. "I don't know if I'd want them here but.. they'd be here." Eliot turned his head to look at the girl behind them both, and shook his head sadly. "Not having anyone? It's hard to imagine."

Somehow, someway, Eliot always seems to read Quentin's thoughts. Still, he could imagine what it was like to be alone.

"I can." Quentin said softly, looking at Eliot still. Eliot looked up, a confused look on his face.

"What are you talking about? What about your mother? She would show up ordering all the surgeons around." Eliot chuckled to himself, and Quentin looked down, remembering exactly where his mother was right now. And she wasn't off in Europe writing some new book, that was for sure. Although, he didn't want to let Eliot in on that just yet.

"Yeah. I do have my mother." Quentin said, once again turning to look at the girl. Silence filled the air for a few moments, before Eliot walked up beside Quentin to lean on the doorway.

"So. We're kissing but we're not dating?" Eliot said, his signature smirk on his face. Quentin smiled fondly and looked over at Eliot, attempting to change his face to something neutral before Eliot saw.

"I knew that would come up. I-"

"Don't get me wrong," Eliot interrupted. "I love the kissing. I'm all for it. If anything I say I want more." Eliot said, and Quentin could hear the smile on his face.

"I don't know what that was about. I don't usually do this." Quentin said softly, tucking his hair back again with a small smile on his face.

"Well, if this is going to happen more often, I'm going to need breath mints." Quentin laughed and shoved him softly, before the silence rolled in between them again. It wasn't awkward or weird just, nice, comfortable silence. If anything Quentin enjoyed it. It was calming compared to how hectic his day had been.

Quentin broke the silence by telling Eliot about the baby in the nursery. "No one's neglected or damaged him yet." Quentin finished softly. "How to we get from there to here?" He asked. He didn't ask to get a response. It was one of those questions he was meant to ask himself, but he felt more comfortable saying it out loud.

Everything fell apart right after when Eliot had to rush her into the OR.

...

Quentin stood right outside the OR when Eliot finished, leaning against a wall. Eliot came out pacing, and sighed loudly.

"She's not gonna make it, is she?" Quentin asked softly. Eliot shook his head.

"She'll be fine. If-"

"If she ever wakes up." Quentin finished. Eliot nodded sadly. He looked up to lock eyes with Quentin, and they just stood there, staring at each other sadly, knowing what was going to happen next. Quentin looked down at his shoes, before walking away.

...

Quentin realized.

At some point, he had to make a decision. Boundaries never keep other people out. They just fence you in, leaving you trapped behind your walls, alone.

Life is messy. It's why people become who they are. 

That's why, as him, Alice, Todd, and Kady all stood together at the nursery, he spoke up.

"Okay, fine. Kady, Todd, you can be my roomates." They cheered loudly, and Quentin groaned. "I can't believe I caved."

Alice glanced at him. "I blame the babies." She said, before walking away. 

Quentin could waste his life drawing lines. He was particularly good at drawing lines. Or, he could live his life crossing them. Which was definitely more appealing.

He packed his things for the day and changed back into his normal hoodie and jeans, and walked to the elevator to go home. There, once again stood Eliot, on his phone, smiling when Quentin walked up. Quentin smiled back, and stood in front of Eliot like before. 

"So it's intense?" Eliot started. Chuckling at the face Quentin made. "This thing I have for ferryboats, sweetheart." Quentin choked at the pet name, and tried so hard to continue looking forward and ignoring Eliot breathing behind him.

"I'm definitely taking the stairs this time." Quentin said, walking away from the smiling Eliot.

"No self-control!" Eliot called after him, before walking onto the elevator. 

Quentin then knew.

If he was willing to take the chance and cross those lines...

The view from the other side would be spectacular.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo I'm following the script pretty closely, but mostly only including the scenes that have Quentin, because I am sort of writing this from his point of view. The other characters will be seen and all that, but the separate scenes that are usual in the show with just them likely will not be written in. Howeevvverrr if there's a certain scene you love and want to see, let me know and I'm totally down to put it in. :) Anyways this is long now so I hope you enjoyed!


	3. Chapter 3: Shake Your Groove Thing

Quentin remembered when he was a kid.

When the only worry was whether or not he'd get a bike for his birthday, or if he'd get to eat cookies for breakfast.

That's why, being an adult? It was totally, and completely, overrated. When you're young, all you want is the hot shoes, the great sex, the no parents being around you 24/7 to control your life. Instead, adulthood was just about responsibility, which was probably the one thing Quentin sucked at. 

"The lawyer has been managing her estate with the limited power of an attorney, but your mother's alzheimer's is advancing. So, while she's still lucid enough to consent, she needs to sign everything over to you."

Quentin looked up at the woman speaking to him from where he had been looking off in the distance before. His chest tightened with anxiety before his hands started to shake, and he tucked his hair behind his ear nervously. No, he couldn't be the one responsible over everything they owned, no fucking way.

"Me?" He asked, his voice shaking ever so slightly. "L-Look. I haven't slept in 48 hours, possibly more," Quentin's voice came out scratchy, and he was sure that his face looked just as tired as he sounded. "I'm getting my first shot at--at heart surgery this morning and I'm missing rounds to be here. Are you sure there isn't anyone else here, or--or the attorney? Do I have to be the one to handle this?"

"We're talking about everything here, Mr. Coldwater. Her finances, her estate, her medical care, and more. Do you really want to put her life in someone else's hands?" The woman pushed, and Quentin slumped. They always had a way of getting you here. "She's your mother."

Quentin sighed.

Responsibility fucking sucked.

...

Adults have to do way too many things for Quentin's brain to focus on. They had to make a living, pay the rent, and somehow survive with whatever they had left. And, if you were like him and training to be a surgeon, then holding someone's actual, beating heart in your hands? Now that's responsibility.

That was, until Quentin closed his eyes for just a second, and slumped, squeezing the heart the slightest bit when he jumped awake abruptly.

"Dr. Coldwater, what was that just now?" The cardio surgeon asked. Quentin shook his head, still trying to force his eyes to stay open as apologies tumbled from his lips.

"I-I'm sorry. It just slipped." Thankfully, the surgeon just shook his head at Quentin's response.

"Well, I'm done here. You can release her heart very gently." Quentin nodded, and slowly, ever so slowly, released the heart that had been placed in his hands. It was crazy, how you can hold the one thing that keeps people alive in your very own hands, all while it was still keeping them alive. The reality check boggled Quentin's mind, and as he slowly released the heart that was in his hands, he smiled softly. 

So when the woman's heart stopped beating while Quentin had been walking away from the table, he froze, and looked down at his hands. There, right on his pointer finger, was a hole where his nail had popped through, likely from when he had squeezed just a little harder than he thought from jerking himself awake. He cursed silently, and took one more glance back at the woman on the table, who's heart had begun beating by then. Quentin took one last deep breath to calm his shaking hands, before pulling off his bloody gloves and tossing them, walking out of the OR.

...

Of course it was his luck that right when he walked out, Eliot was walking by, holding a salad in his hands. Quentin groaned internally, and knew he couldn't avoid him for much longer. Eliot, of course, looked much more awake than he did, all smiles and excitement as he bounded up to Quentin. The light in his eyes always seemed to shine there, the small sparkle blinding Quentin as he walked out, noticing how Eliot caught up with him quickly and began to walk next to him.

Quentin tried really hard to ignore Todd right behind both of them.

"Hey! I heard you just did a CABG. Did you get to hold the heart?" Eliot asked excitedly, taking bites of salad as he spoke. Maybe, if Quentin wasn't so tired from the lack of sleep, he would be more excited to see Eliot in this moment after he had just popped a glove in the OR. Instead, Quentin just wished he could run as far as he could, and away from the burning sun that was Eliot altogether.

"Yeah." He responded quietly, but Eliot didn't seem the least bet dejected by the Quentin responded. Instead, it felt that he got brighter because of his response. Shit.

"It's an amazing feeling. You never forget your first time holding a heart in your hands." Eliot was all smiles as he spoke, chewing his salad happily. It kind of made Quentin want to rip his own hair out. Instead, he settled for tucking it behind his ear.

"It was pretty great just to watch!" Todd jumped in, sounding just as excited as Eliot, and Quentin wanted to just fall on the floor and ignore them all, honestly. It didn't help that his hair was completely all over the place, and he could definitely feel the bags under his eyes and the redness that shined from within them. "Vicarious thrills! You know?" Todd continued as all three of them reached the elevator.

"Yeah." Quentin said once more, and he silently thanked the god above that the elevator decided to ding just then. Todd and Quentin stepped in, leaving Eliot behind with his salad in hand.

Yet, as Quentin turned to face Eliot, his smile had dimmed, and if anything, he looked concerned. Confused, even. 

"See you later." Eliot said softly, worry filling his voice.

All Quentin could do was mutter a soft, "Yeah." before the elevator doors closed, leaving Eliot on the other side wondering just what had happened to Quentin.

...

"I think maybe I did something to the heart." Quentin spilled out, as he and Todd stood on the elevator together. It tumbled out of his lips faster than he could comprehend what he was actually saying, and he silently cursed his sleep deprived brain for being worse than it usually was. "I nodded off a little, and--and squeezed it and-" Quentin took in a deep breath, and shut his eyes. God, he so wanted to be in bed right now.

"Oh please. The heart's a tough muscle!" Todd said, trying to quell Quentin's worries. Of course, that didn't work. "It can take a squeeze or two."

Quentin shook his head. "No, my fingernail popped a glove. It went straight through, Todd." His body flooded with anxiety, and his eyes widened. "Todd, what if I punctured that woman's heart?"

Todd stood up taller now, no longer leaning against the elevator wall. Quentin hoped that it wasn't fear that shined on Todd's face. "If you had punctured her heart, you would have known when.. when they reperfused. They got her heart beating again, she's okay."

Neither of them dared look at each other. "So I shouldn't tell the attending?" 

"Tell him what?" Todd responded. "Nothing happened. The woman's okay, right?"

"She's okay. She's fine." Quentin repeated, trying to convince himself that it was true.

It was really hard to convince him that it was true.

...

Quentin was convinced that charting was definitely terrible, but it was the only thing his brain could currently focus on, so he stood at the counter, writing, reading, and re-reading what he had written. To others, it was exhausting but, when you're already exhausted, it doesn't seem to affect you much. Then again, it's not like interns could do much anyway besides scut.

All in all, his day was going just fucking fantastic.

Yet, as Eliot walked up to the counter with that worried look still on his face, Quentin gulped. Eliot leaned down on one elbow next to him, trying to see Quentin's face from where he was leaning over the chart. Quentin helped him though, and his head shot up, looking Eliot in the eyes. He suddenly wished that he hadn't done that, the sudden blood rush making his scenery fuzzy. 

"You okay?" Eliot asked, staring at him with that confused look on his face. Quentin hated it.

"Yeah, yeah I'm good." Quentin said, trying with everything he had to brush Eliot off. Any other day, he probably would enjoy Eliot seeking him out like this. Today was just not one of those days.

"Are you sure? Because you seem really not okay." Eliot said, concern etched into his voice and features. Quentin nodded then, and continued nodding.

"I'm fine. The.. the surgery was just long." 

"Well... let me take you out to dinner tonight, and you can tell me all about your long surgery." Eliot said nicely. All of the other times Eliot had flirted with him, his voice had been laced with want, but now? Eliot's voice was still concerned, and it sounded as though his comment wasn't truly serious. As though he was only saying it to cheer Quentin up, and didn't actually expect a 'yes' out of him. The thought definitely made him feel a little better, but it didn't lift the fatigue off of his shoulders. "Real food, waiters, a bunch of carbs in a basket-" Eliot continued.

"I can't." Quentin said then, grabbing his chart and walking away. Or, attempted to walk away, but Eliot followed anyway. 

"Forget the party." Eliot said, and Quentin swung around to face him. 

Earlier today, Kady had been planning a party for her boyfriend that was coming to visit. Well, he had been told it wasn't a huge party, just a small get together with some other surgeons they knew. Quentin had specifically tried to make sure Eliot didn't find out, and here he was talking about it. He groaned internally.

"You know about the party?" He asked, exasperatedly. Eliot didn't answer his question though.

"Your friends will be at the party. You and I... can be alone somewhere else." His voice still held that bit of concern, but it was lessened. The way Eliot's eyes usually shined when he flirted wasn't the same, either.

"How-How do you know about the party?" Quentin asked, extremely tired as he tucked his hair behind his ear.

"Thanks for not inviting me, by the way. That felt great!" Eliot sounded genuinely hurt at the fact that he wasn't invited, and Quentin sighed. "Dinner, think about dinner." 

"Well-" Quentin was cut off by the sound of his pager beeping loudly between them, as Eliot had begun to walk away. "Ugh." Quentin groaned out, running off to his patient's room.

...

When Quentin arrived at the room of the woman he had punctured a glove in surgery with, he immediately froze. There, the nurses held pressure over the woman's chest, where it had began gushing blood. He felt his blood pumping through his veins rapidly as he ran up beside the nurses, trying to get details on the matter. He took over holding pressure until the cardio surgeon ran in.

"What happened?!" 

"P-Per protocol. No allergic, anaphylactic, or histamine responses. Everything was stable." Quentin rushed out, his voice scratchy and terrified. What if this was his fault, that he had ruptured that woman's heart and now she was going to die and-

"I popped a glove!" Quentin pushed out, finally releasing what he had been holding onto this morning. "I-In surgery when I was holding it, I popped a glove with my fingernail. I think I may have nicked her heart." His voice cracked and tore against his throat, and he wanted to scream. The cardio surgeon didn't say a word as he wheeled the woman into the OR, with Quentin following close behind.

He wanted to cry, scream, and run all it once. It was his fault, his own fault that this woman was going to die, and he was going to lose his job, his friends, his-

Eliot.

A scream threatened to tear its way through his throat as he ran alongside the woman's bed. 

When they arrived at the OR, he was told not to scrub in, only to watch as her heart was repaired.

"You had every opportunity to speak up before I closed her chest! Why didn't you?" The surgeon yelled, his words muffled against his mask. Quentin just stared on, his eyes threatening to tear up again.

"I'm sorry."

"And then you go and confess in front of her husband?! You don't even know if you were the cause of this, you have no idea!" 

"I'm sorry." He mumbled out once more. His voice shook, and as he looked up, the surgeon waved him over. Quentin walked slowly, his feet feeling so heavy, as if they were stuck to the ground.

"There. Look at the wall rupture. It's a hell of a lot more than a fingernail. Her ventricular walls were already weak."

The door slid open then, revealing Henry Fogg, an angry, yet tired look on his face. "I just had a conversation with her husband. I want copies of his wife's chart in my office by five, tomorrow the two of you are going to meet with me and legal, and you better damn well be able to explain what happened here." His tone was calm, but a grimace on his features slipped through every now and then. Quentin nodded sheepishly.

"You're gonna go back and talk to the husband. Review the history, apologize profusely. Your ass is the one on the line here, Dr. Coldwater. Not mine." The surgeon said, and Quentin nodded once more, keeping his head down as he tried to calm his breathing while walking out of the OR.

...

Quentin's talk with the woman's husband didn't go well. He had just screamed at him, about how his wife was healthy, and how she had easily just lost a hundred pounds. Plus, he had to go back to the home his mother was in to get her the sign the papers, but she hadn't been lucid at the time, so they turned him away. He was told he should have come earlier in the day, but he had a job! There's no way he could have come earlier, and they couldn't pin this on him. Why had she put this off for so long, and why did the people working there let her do so? It was irresponsible! 

He had stormed out, completely prepared to go back home, probably drink some alcohol to relax him, and then peacefully go to bed. A night of nice silence, while his roommates continued to work. 

But the loud cheering and insane amount of cars on his street made him groan, and he threw his head forward so far it smacked against the steering wheel. It stung, but the pain didn't compare to what he felt seeing how many people were walking up to his house, and how many were already inside. The loud music playing didn't help either, and he groaned again, louder this time. 

"Goddammit Kady! I'm gonna kill you!" He was told this was going to be a small get together to welcome Kady's boyfriend home, not a frat party!

He was more pissed when he couldn't find parking in front of his own house. 

Quentin parked a ways away, and stormed up the steps to his home. He threw open the door, not daring to flinch as it smacked against the wall behind it loudly. A few people turned to stare, but many didn't hear it open over the loud music. A grimace crossed his face, and he stomped in, ready to strangle Kady if he saw her. Or Alice. Or Todd. Anyone who had told him this party was going to be small. 

People around him continued to mingle as he stomped down the hall, stopping when someone passed by and almost knocked his lamp on the ground before he caught it. He unplugged it and carried it with him, making a mental note to put it in his bedroom so it wouldn't be knocked over again. He found Todd in the kitchen, and quickly found himself practically running to him.

"Where is Kady?!" He screamed, even though the music was quieter here, and he didn't need to. "This was supposed to be a 'meet-the-boyfriend' get together tiny thing!"

"Kady has a lot of friends!" Todd replied back.

"You know damn well Kady doesn't know this many people!" Quentin screamed, following Todd as he walked through the crowd. Yet, Quentin suddenly realized where he was, stuck in a crowd full of people, and he took in a deep breath. "I-I can't do this! I can't handle this!"

"You want me to kick everyone out?!" Todd took in a breath. It was obvious to see he was a little tipsy. "I'm gonna kick everyone out!"

Quentin turned to focus on something else, when he noticed someone behind Todd. It was Alice, jumping up and down on a table with a bottle in hand. What was in it, he couldn't tell, but he flinched when Alice spotted him and yelled, "Baby! You made it! Whoo!" 

It was easy to tell she had drank the whole bottle alone. Quentin shook his head. He was too tired to deal with all these people, and he glanced at Todd.

"Screw it! Hold this," He handed Todd the lamp. "And give me this!" He took the bottle of whiskey from Todd's other hand. "Yeah I made it!" Quentin yelled, joining Alice on the table. He had needed this, the opportunity to relax after his whole heart fiasco. Thankfully, Alice was there to help him do it. They laughed and jumped, taking sips of their alcohol here and there. "Todd!"

"Todd come here!" Alice yelled with him, hoping to get Todd to come and dance with them after they both had a decent amount of alcohol in their system. Todd climbed on the table as Quentin handed him the bottle he had been holding. They all drank and danced on this small, circular table, smiles on all three of their faces. 

Quentin had really needed this.

...

"Why do we want to be surgeons anyway?" Quentin jumbled out, the alcohol fully running through his veins now. The house had grown a bit quieter, some people leaving fro the night. Quentin, Todd, and Alice sat on the floor with a deck of cards. Quentin was sure that at one point they had been playing poker, but now, as he looked up, Alice was just sticking the cards to her face with a blank expression. It should have made Quentin smile, but they were all so groggy at this point. "Surgery is stupid!"

"Give me that, you're drunk." Alice slightly slurred, showing she was probably the most sober out of the three of them. Quentin pulled it back into his chest as if he were a small child who's toy was getting taken away. 

"I'm not driving, I'm not on call, I'm in my own house, my life is crap, and it's my party, and I'll get drunk if I want to!" Quentin rambled out, taking another sip of the bottle. Someone had walked up to the three of them on the floor then, and they all looked up.

"Uh, I'm looking for Kady-"

"You must be the boyfriend!" Alice interrupted, pulling herself to her feet. She was probably the only one of them who could stand. "He's very large and hockey-like." Alice giggled, and danced around Kady's boyfriend. "No, Kady's not here right now." 

Alice was gone in seconds.

"Kady said she was gonna be at home. Not that there was gonna be a party." The boyfriend said, looking around at the mess that was Quentin's house. Quentin looked up, his eyes drooping.

"Well, she pisses both of us off. Want some tequila?"

"When is she gonna be here?" Quentin shook his head.

"Don't know. We're interns. The hospital owns us, its what we do." He threw down the cards in his hand tiredly, and leaned back against the small seat behind him. "Bye!" Quentin yelled after him, watching as he walked away. 

...

Quentin didn't know when he got on his porch, or when he got another full bottle of whiskey, but he didn't really care, and his brain was far too tired to ask any real questions. Instead, he listened to the muffled music coming from inside his house, swaying softly, taking a drink every so often. The music was upbeat, but soft, and the melody rang through his ears and out through his body in a way he never really felt when sober. 

Eliot leaned against his shiny gray car, his arms crossed and a small smile on his face, as he watched Quentin dance. It was peaceful, in a way, seeing the way his limbs moved clumsily, as if he'd fall over any minute. He wasn't the greatest dancer, by any means, but it made him smile nonetheless. He enjoyed the way the smile fell across Quentin's face in a way he hadn't seen since the first night they met.

"You know, in some states, you'd get arrested for that." Eliot called out, breaking Quentin from his trance. Quentin looked up at Eliot, the smile still on his face as he walked down the steps, meeting Eliot halfway. "So you blew me off for a bottle of whiskey? Whiskey's no good for you. Doesn't call, doesn't write. It's not nearly as much fun to wake up to."

Eliot's voice was lilting again, the way it had been the morning he woke up in Quentin's house, or when he flirted openly. It made Quentin shiver, and heat ran up his neck and into his cheeks. Though, he couldn't tell if it was from Eliot's comment, or the alcohol. However, the smile stayed on his face, and whiskey gave him confidence. He reached up and grabbed the edge of Eliot's pretty vest, and pulled him in for a kiss.

Quentin was most likely under the influence of alcohol, but not enough that he didn't know what he was doing. Just enough to give him that extra push he needed to kiss Eliot again. It was just as he remembered from the night they met, or that morning in the elevator. Eliot's lips were soft, the taste of cigarettes lingering just enough to be tasted on his tongue. Mint was also strong, and Quentin giggled internally when he remembered Eliot's comment about having to bring mints. Eliot's hands wrapped around Quentin's waist, pulling him closer as Quentin kept his hands on Eliot's chest. They broke apart slowly, never once breaking eye contact.

"Take me for a ride, Eliot." Quentin said, the smile still on his face. His confidence was growing, and if Eliot left tonight without giving Quentin what he wanted... 

Eliot just laughed, using the arm around Quentin's waist to pull him close, guiding them to his car. Quentin giggled as Eliot opened the door and bowed dramatically as he waved Quentin in, and they both laughed together as Eliot climbed in, Quentin climbed on top, and he locked the doors.

...

"You know, it sounds like the party's winding down." Eliot said. Quentin was still on his lap, but they had thrown their clothes back on a while ago. "We should probably sneak inside now." 

The alcohol had made Quentin giggly, along with the fun they had just had. His brain had been turned to mush, and he just giggled at everything Eliot said. Eliot laughed back. "Listen to me, okay?" 

"We've done enough sneaking for the night." Quentin continued giggling.

"Yeah, I'd say we're pretty good sneakers." Eliot laughed back, wrapping his fingers in Quentin's hair. Quentin had put on Eliot's button up, and Eliot pulled it up and began buttoning it, stopping to put his fingers back in Quentin's hair and pull him down into another kiss. 

A knock on the window broke them apart, and there stood Margo, anger plastered on her face. "Hey! You assholes mind moving?! You're blocking me in!" Margo walked away then, leaving the two to look at each other again.

"Apparently not good enough." Eliot said, before they both sighed, Quentin rolled off, and they properly put on their clothes before leaving.

...

"When's your meeting with the chief?" Todd asked, sitting down next to Quentin, who had been lying on the floor. 

"In an hour." Quentin replied, his head pounding and his voice coming out raspier than it had been yesterday. He took the coffee Todd had offered him, and took a long sip. He was definitely going to need it. 

Kady walked in then, her eyes tired. They widened nonetheless. "Holy mother of destruction. What the fuck?"

"You missed doctor palooza." Quentin grumbled out, taking another sip from his mug.

"Apparently you two didn't." Kady replied, sitting on the couch in between them. Quentin sighed, and leaned forward to put his coffee on the coffee table.

"I should probably never speak to you again." Quentin said.

"I'm so sorry guys. I had no idea it would get so.." Quentin shook his head.

"No, it's okay. What would I be doing anyway?" 

Todd chuckled from beside Kady, replying with, "Preparing for your career-altering meeting?" 

"Anything in the patient's history?" Kady supplied. Quentin was suddenly glad she was sober, and that she was here, because his brain was most likely still mush, and he definitely couldn't think straight. 

"Husband said she was in the best shape of her life." Quentin replied. "She lost a hundred pounds last year." 

Kady's eyes widened. "A hundred pounds in a year... how's her muscle mass?" Kady leaned forward and grabbed a bottle off the table, taking a large gulp out of it. Todd cringed in disgust.

"Do you even know who's that was?" Kady shook her head.

"I'm hoping it was yours." Todd shook his head, and Kady groaned before cringing too. 

...

Responsibility really, really did suck. 

Thankfully though, Quentin's meeting with the chief went pretty well.

"Q! You okay?" Quentin smiled softly at the nickname Eliot had given him, and was thankful Eliot had been there when he walked out of the chief's office.

"Yeah. One month probation." He replied. Eliot smiled wide.

"Good! That's good!" He said, before patting Quentin's shoulder and getting away before he could be seen.

Quentin walked up to Todd, Alice, and Kady, silently thanking the gods that they had been there for him. He told them how the cardio surgeon saved his ass, before Hanson called out for them to get back to work. 

 

Unfortunately though, once you get past the age of bikes, responsibility never goes away.

It can't be avoided.

And either someone makes you face it,

Or you suffer the consequences. 

Thankfully though, the things you got out of being an adult were pretty damn good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took longer than I thought, but I hope you guys like it! Thanks for reading!


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